The House is currently in recess for the August District Work Period and will reconvene on September 5, 2006.

Danger at our Doorstep

Last week, I joined some of my colleagues for a congressional tour in Laredo, Texas – one of the primary fronts where we are battling to ensure American border security. Head law enforcement officers of several Texas counties along the border warn that Arabic-speaking individuals are learning Spanish and integrating into Mexican culture before paying smugglers to sneak them into the United States. In fact, the Texas Sheriffs’ Border Coalition suggests that many of those individuals are likely terrorists. Some even suspect that drug cartels and some members of the Mexican military are helping them get across the border. Alarmingly, Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez of Zapata County has reported that Iranian currency, military badges in Arabic, and other clothing are among the items have been discovered along the Rio Grande River. Coupled with the reports I have read, I came away from last week’s visit with a renewed sense of urgency to deal with the threats posed by weaknesses in our border enforcement.

Statistics released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) show that hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico, designated as OTMs, have been captured by the U.S. Border Patrol as they crossed the southwestern border in the past few years. Of particular concern are the illegal aliens coming from Special Interest Countries (SICs) where a radical version of Islam is prominent. Until recently, the policy of the federal government has been to issue OTMs a court summons to appear for a hearing at a later date and then release them on their own recognizance. To close this dangerous loophole, I authored legislation last year to put an end to this ludicrous “catch and release” policy. This provision was incorporated into the tough border security bill passed by the House in December.

Fortunately, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced this week that this failed practice is coming to an end, even without the legislation being enacted yet. This is extremely important in light of the tremendous danger OTMs may present to the wellbeing of the United States.

Improving Soldiers’ Treatment

We owe our troops the best possible care this country can provide. On most accounts we are doing this. Unfortunately, funding for the treatment of brain injuries may be dramatically reduced this year. While our country is at war, we simply cannot reduce spending for these types of injuries. This reduction is especially regrettable given that the terrorists’ use of improvised explosive devices in Iraq is leading to higher than normal brain injuries to our troops. In fact, we are seeing elevated demands on the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

That is why this week I petitioned Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Bill Young (R-FL) to reconsider the subcommittee’s recommendation to reduce funding for the treatment of soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries as the result of bomb blasts. As a fellow appropriator, I understand the challenges facing the Appropriations Committee, however, funding the war and our veterans must remain our highest priority. I am doing my part to do just that.

Quote of the Week

“There’s no counting how many recessions [New York] Times columnist Paul Krugman has predicted, but Bush was exactly right to point out 4 percent real GDP growth during the first half of 2006, brisk productivity rates, 5.5 million new jobs over the past three years, and a historically low 4.8 percent unemployment rate… Bush inherited the Internet bubble-meltdown from the Clinton years, as well as the corporate scandals. Then came the attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing war. But the Bush recovery also followed suit, the result of slashing high marginal tax rates on investment in mid-2003… Low tax-rates, strong economic growth, and shrinking budget deficits – it’s still the greatest story never told.”– Larry Kudlow, National Review Online, August 22, 2006